Machine for baking pie crusts



Oet. 29, 1935. J. E. ALLEN MACHINE FOR BAKING P IE CRUSTS Filed De. 5, 1932 Patented Oct. 29,1935

UNlrED STATES The object oi my invention is to provide a sim-l ple, durable and inexpensive machine for baking pie crusts, so constructed and arranged that the bottom and top crusts may be baked separately and at the same time, and before the ller is applied to the lower crust, thus providing a means whereby the crust may be baked immediately beffore serving, to which a previously prepared and heated filler may be applied.

More specically it is `the object of my invention to provide means whereby pie crusts may be rapidly baked, and at the same time produce a flaky and porous crust, which is tender and at thesame time provided with sumcient mechanical strength to retain its shape when the filler is applied thereto.

A further object is to provide means-.whereby the bottom portion of the pie crust may be baked separately from the cover portion, said crusts being provided .with means whereby the upper crust may be easily and quickly alined with the lower crust and whereby the upper crust wllljbe.

. mechanically supported in position onthe lower crust sufciently to prevent the upper crust from sliding oi of the lower crust when lled.

A further object is to provide in a pie crust baking machine improved baking elements,

whereby both the inner and outer surfaces of the crustsmay be baked simultaneously by applying baking plates thereto.

A further object is to provide inl a pie crust baking machine, employing upper and lower bak`- ing plates, and having means for locking the baking plates togethenimproved means whereby portions of the pie crust are. pemiitted to expand While other portions of the crust are held against expansion, so that a very porous and flaky crust may be formed in its expanded portions, and

whereby the contracted portions serve to unite or tie the fiaky portions of the crust together.

My invention consists` the construction, arrangementand combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in`which:

Figure 1 isa front view of myimproved pie crust baking machine in which the baking ovens are shown in vertical cross section.

Figure 2 is an end view of same showing one of the baking ovens in vertical cross sections. j

Figure 311s an enlarged, detail, sectional view illustrating the upper and lower baking plates and the, manner in which a pie crust isbaked between the' same. W

e 29 designed 'to form an annular groove 30 in the lower edge of the outwardly extending ange Figurei illustrates a segmental sectional view of a completed pie employing crusts lbaked on my improved machine. V e Figure 5 is a bottom view of the baking plates for baking the top crust, a portion of the lower f5;

plate being broken away to show the construction of the inner surface of the 'upper plate.

In the accompanying drawing, I have used the reference numeral I0 to indicate a base for sup# porting a pair of upright supports ii and I2. 19.

The upper end of each of the supports is provided with lower oven sections I3 and it. Hinged to theoven'section i3' is an upper ovensection i5 and hinged to the oven section itis an upper ovensection i6.' The upper oven4 sections are hinged to the lower oven sections by means of hinge portions i1. The upper oven sections 'are locked to their respective lower'oven sections by means 'of latch devices i8.

Each latch device I8 is pivoted to a pin i9 secured'to the corresponding upright..Y The lower end of the latch I 'extends through an opening 20 in said upright support andlis pivotally connected to a link 2i, which is operatively connect- Jed with an intermittent time clock 22. The

upper end of the member i8 has'a hook portionl l `23 for entering a notch 26 in the upper oven portion, whereby the upper oven may be manually locked to the lower oven, and automatically released by theftime clock -22 when the oven "members lhave been closed a predetermined length of time.

' Each ofthe lower oven members i3 and i6 is V'provided with an electrical heating unit 25, said units being supported in suitable cavities 2S provided in the oven members. The oven member i3 is formedito support a pie pan 2.

'Ihe edge of said pan 21 has a flange portion '28 and an upwardly extending annular portion portion 3i of the pie crust 32, as illustrated in Figure 4. j The lower oven is also provided with a vertically arranged shaft 33,- the upper end of which is provided with a head 34, supported within an -opening 35 formed in the heating element 25 and adapted to engage the under surface of the central portion of the pie pan. -The shaft 33 is'pro- `vided, with a spring 36 to normally retain the 50 'shaft 33 and the member 34 in an elevated position, and to support the pie pan a considerable distance above the heating unit, when the upper oven member 25'is supported in an open position.

-Thusmeans is providedY wherebyv the-pie pan will be automatically lifted from the heating unit as soon as the upper oven member is released and moved to an open position.

The upper ovenmember l5 is provided with a Aheating unit 31. The inner surface of said oven plate 21, and to overlap the outer edge of thel flange 28 of said pie pan, whereby the edge of a pie crust placed between said plates may be trimmed evenly with the outer edge of the flange 28 when the upper oven member is moved to a closed position.

The inner surface of the plate 38 is provided with a series of inwardly projecting lugs 48. the inner ends of which are designed to engagethe upper surface of the pie dough 4I, after it has been placed in the pan 21, in the manner illustrated in Figure l, so that spaces 42 are provided between the .upper surface of the pie dough and the inner surface of the plate 38, in such a manner that when heat is applied to the pie pan and the plate 38, heat will be transmitted from said pan and plate to the dough to bake the same, causing steam to be generated in the dough, which in turn will cause that portion of the dough between the lugs 4I)A to expand 'in the manner illustrated in Figure 3, so that the dough is provided with a series of air pockets, causing the body of the crustto consist of a series of overlapping flakes, and at the same time provide a very tender crust having a considerable amount of thick- DESS.

The upper layers of flakes are bent to fit the contour ofthe under surface of the plate 38 and converge to that portion 43 of the pie crust be- 'neath the ends of the lugs 40, which is baked comparatively solid, due to the fact that no expansion of the dough is permitted between the pan 21 and the inner ends of the lugs 40. rI'hese comparatively solid portions 43 provide means for binding or tying the flaky portions together, and materially .aid in giving the pie crust rigidity and strength without increasing the toughness of the same.

The plate 38 is so'constructed that an annular groove 44 is provided near the base of the annular lug 39, which is supported immediately above the annular rib 29 and in spaced relation therewith, to form in the lower crust an upwardly extending annular flange 45, and the outwardly extending iiange" 3l before referred to.

The oven member I4 is provided with a plate 4B adapted to rest on the heating imit 25 in the manner illustrated in Figure l, the plate being shown elevated in Figure 2 by means of the member 34. Said plate has an annular recess 41 near its peripheral edge.- The plate 46 is' also provided with radial flanges 48 and 49 which intersect each other at substantially right angles.

The central portion of the plate is provided with a die 50 by means of which the name of the filler to be placed in the crusts may be imprinted on the top surface of the upper crust. Said plate 50 is supported in the plate 46 ln a detachable manner, so that any one of a number of dies may be placed in the plate at the will of the operator. That portion 5| of the upper surface of the plate outside of the groove 41 is provided with.

lugs or indentations 52 to cause imprints to be made in' the flange portion 53 of the upper pie crust to produce a design in the ange 53 resembling that produced by hand work.

The upper oven I 6 is provided with a baking plate 54, which is formed fiat and has its under surface provided with downwardly extending lugs 55 similar to the lugs 40 and for the same purpose. i y The outer edge of the under surface of said plate 54 is provided with 4an annular flangeA 58 designed to be supported immediately above the annular groove 41 to form an annular rib 51 to t the upper surface of the rib 45 of the lower crust. Thus means is provided whereby the upper and lower crusts may be baked separately, and after they have been baked a filler 58 may be placed in the said lower crust 32. after which the upper crust 59 may be placed in position with the flange 51 above the flange 45 in the manner illustrated in Figure 4. The flanges 45 and 51 support the upper crust against lateral movement. The iiller 58 tends to provide means for securing the upper crust member in position by capillary attraction and adhesion.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided a very 25 simple and comparatively inexpensive machine for baking the upper and lower crusts of a pie. The outer surfaces of the pie crusts when assembled are comparatively smooth while the inner surfaces of said crusts are corrugated.

. It will further be seen that I have provided in the upper pie crust radial indentations 59 formed by the flanges 48 and 49 to assist in cutting the pie in equal parts. Any number of the flanges 48 and 49 may be used, depending upon u the size of the pieces of pie desired.

It will further be seen that I have provided means whereby the pie crust may be baked rapidly and at the same time provide a porous, flaky and .tender crust with suiiiclent strength to pero mit handling of the pie after the crusts have been lled.

It will further be seen that I have kprovided means whereby both the lower and upper piev crusts may be baked simultaneously. The heating elements are heated preferably by electricity, the current of which is controlled by means of suitable rheostats 60 secured to the base I0. Signal lights 8| are provided to indicate to the operator when the pie dough has been in the ovens o the proper length of time to complete the baking, said lights being controlled by the clock 22.

The upper and lower ovens are automatically unlatched and separated by means of a spring 82 carried between the hinge member .I1 when the latch device 23 has disengaged the notch 24. The pie pan 21 and the plate 46 are elevated by means of the springs 36 and the shafts 33 in the manner before described, in such a manner that even if theoperator should not notice the signal', so

the pie crust will be moved out of engagement with the heating elements, in such a manner that the crust will Vnot be burned, until the operator has time to remove the crust.

The crust is removed from the pan 21 and the plate 48 by removing said elements from the respective ovens, and placing them in an inverted position, after which the pan and plate may again be returned to their respective ovens. The plates 38 and 54 are permanently xed to their respecw tive ovens.

In the vdrawing I have illustrated the pie pan and the baking plate, together with the coacting upper plate members, used in connection with electrically heated ovens, with means for autou n anims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim as my invention: 12 A device for baking pieV crust comprising a support; `a heating` element therein; a baking p1ate;'means mounting the baking Aplate to piove' towardand from said heating element; yielding means for supporting the baking plate at its outer limit ci movement; acover-pivoted to to'- ward and from said baking plate: a heating eiement carried in said cover; a second -bakingpiate '15 carried by said cover and adapted to be-moved to` position adjacent to the first baking plate when the cover is moved to a closed position and .to move the first baking plate toward the first heating element;and means for iatching' 'said euvel' 2o in a closed position.

-f 2. A device for bakingble crust comprising a support. a heating element therein; abaking plate adapted to be moved towardand from said beata ing element; yieldable means iol' bak- 25 ing plate from said heating element: a cover naemlberhinsedtomovejtowardandfromtbenrst baking piate:'a' heating clement carried in said cover member; `a 1- plate-adjacent to the outer surface of said heating element and adapted .tobesupportedadiacenttdthenr'st baking plate a when the cover member is moved to a closed position; yieldable means for moving the cover inem-l `bei' to an men position; means for iatcbing saidcover member in a closed position; and time operated means iorreieasing said latching means. lo 8. A device for baking pie crust comprising a support; a heating element therein; a cover member mounted to move toward and from said heating element; a, second ,heating element in said cover: a baking plate carried by said cover; a baking plate carried by the said ilpportabove l the first heating element; a shaft siidably mounted to move vertically in such support having its upper end connected to said second baking plate; yielding means tending to move said shaft and plate upwardly: and means for limiting the upward movement of said shaft and baking JAMES E. ALLEN. 

